


In From the Cold

by midoriverte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M, Pre-Timeskip, featuring cats, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24531220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midoriverte/pseuds/midoriverte
Summary: “...And I’d like to remind you all, that it is still against the rules to feed the cats and dogs that live around the monastery,” Seteth said. Claude had been half falling asleep as Seteth gave morning announcements, but perked up a bit when he heard the general snickering of students who had no intention of listening to that particular rule.In which Claude has a secret soft spot for the monastery cats, and it turns out Byleth does too.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 11
Kudos: 97





	In From the Cold

“...And I’d like to remind you all, that it is still against the rules to feed the cats and dogs that live around the monastery,” Seteth said. Claude had been half falling asleep as Seteth gave morning announcements, but perked up a bit when he heard the general snickering of students who had no intention of listening to that particular rule. 

Seteth cleared his throat in annoyance. “I know they’re cute, but when you keep feeding them it attracts more animals and they become a general nuisance in the monastery-”

Byleth elbowed Claude gently, Claude assumed it was because he was falling asleep again. But instead Byleth whispered, “I’ve seen Seteth feeding the cats.” 

Claude grinned. “It’s a scandal.” He didn’t care if it was the most lukewarm gossip he had ever heard, it was fun to hear Teach try. 

He couldn’t believe how long Seteth could drone on. He stared longingly at the pot of coffee on the table. He didn’t even care if the coffee here was watered down garbage, it would keep him awake. But he didn’t want the fifteen minute lecture he’d get from Lorenz for grabbing something before morning prayers. 

Finally, they were led in a prayer that Claude did not listen to as he folded his hands loosely in front of him and examined the wood grain on the table with interest, so that to anyone who glanced at him he would seem deep in contemplation. 

He made sure to grab some extra meat, and after breakfast he made some excuse about going to the greenhouses before class. He found the kittens where they usually were, huddling in the crates and empty burlap sacks that were piled up behind the greenhouses. 

“Yeah yeah I know I’m late,” he said in response to their mewing. He crouched down, pulling out the food he had hidden from under his jacket. “Blame Seteth, he never stops talking.” He scratched the little black kitten (his favourite, but don’t tell the others) behind the ears. “What would you do without me, hm? Aren’t you supposed to be hunters? Do you see how many mice we have around here?” 

The cat rolled over on its back so that Claude could rub its stomach and he sighed dramatically, “You don’t care do you? You should have heard Seteth. Feeding you is illegal now.” 

Claude stood up and dusted the dirt off his pants. “I’ll be back after dinner so stop giving me those looks.” 

After gently pulling off a kitten that was trying to climb up his pants, he headed off to class, knowing and not caring that Lorenz would scold him for being late. 

He had found the kittens a few weeks ago when he had been studying some poisonous plants in the greenhouses and heard a pathetic squeaking sound. He followed the sound to find that it was coming from underneath a pile of crates that had been knocked over and seen a pile of kittens trapped underneath, clearly barely a few days old and very alone. 

So he had been late for class that morning too, because he had to go back to the dining hall to get some milk, water it down, feed the kittens, get a blanket, rearrange the crates to make a safe shelter from the elements-

“I don’t know what you are up to, but you have been late for class almost every day for the past three weeks,” Lorenz said, not bothering to lower his voice. 

“Mm,” Claude grunted noncommittally, sitting beside Hilda and earning a glare from her as it meant she was stuck between him and Lorenz. 

“If you are plotting something-” 

“I’m sure you’d be the first to find me out, Lorenz,” Claude said with a smile and a voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Lorenz opened his mouth to argue with him further when Byleth said “You’re both interrupting my class.” 

Claude fought unsuccessfully to not smile as Lorenz stumbled over himself to apologize and Byleth leveled him with a look. Claude met Teach’s eyes as he said “Try to make it here on time, Claude.” 

“Will do, Teach,” he said with his cheekiest smile. 

He thought he could sense that Byleth was amused, though his expression didn’t change. But then Byleth gave a long-suffering sigh and started his lesson.

***

It got too damn cold around Garreg Mach as the winter approached. Not to mention the kind of damp that seemed inescapable no matter how many fireplaces were lit. Claude had taken to wearing layers of shirts under his uniform jacket, and bringing more warm blankets for the kittens. 

“I hope you appreciate what I do for you,” he said, lining the crates with old blankets. “I had to start leaving meals early because Teach was mad at me for being late to class. Or at least I think he was. Kinda hard to tell sometimes.” 

One of the tabbies gave his hand a little headbutt in response. 

“Am I just a meal ticket to you?” Claude chided. 

He _was_ going to leave. But there had been a cold rain falling all evening and the kittens were damp and shivering no matter how Claude tried to set up the shelter. And then a few snowflakes landed in his hair. 

“How is it not illegal for it to rain and snow at the same time?” He said, shivering himself. The kittens were giving what he imagined to be pleading expressions and he sighed dramatically. 

“Guess I have no choice.”

It took him a few minutes to work out the mechanics of smuggling five kittens into his jacket and then walking across the monastery grounds with them. He was thankful that he had thought to sew hidden pockets onto the inside of his uniform, but he was glad no one spotted him going back to his room because he knew he looked suspiciously bulky. 

“You can only sleep here for tonight,” he warned them as he unceremoniously tossed his pile of books on the floor and placed the kittens on his bed. 

They knew as well as he did that it was an empty threat. They snuggled up close to him as he settled down to read for the night, and he woke up with a kitten sleeping on his face. 

He went to retrieve his old blankets the next morning and stopped by the market to buy a basket (and some yarn, that’s what kittens liked right?) so he could set them up a place to sleep that was _not_ his bed or his face. He had a feeling it would be fruitless but it was worth a try. 

“ _T_ _his_ is your bed,” he said sternly as he placed them in the basket for the third time and they immediately wriggled out in favour of going to his bed. 

Ironically, Seteth had chosen that morning to remind them that feeding the cats was against the rules. As usual, no one cared. 

It wasn’t until several days later when he was reading with a crowd of kittens on his bed, and the black one helpfully sitting on his lap to put its face on the book while he was trying to read, that he heard a knock on the door.

“Claude?” Byleth called from behind the door.

“Oops, we’ve been found out,” Claude sighed. 

“Can I come in?” 

“Uh… just a second,” Claude quickly threw a blanket over the kittens on the bed and shoved the one that was on his lap into his jacket. “It’s not locked.” 

Byleth opened the door with a book in hand “You forgot this in the Golden Deer classroom, I found it cleaning up-”

“Oh, thanks!” Claude scooted over on the bed to take it from him without standing up, because his kitten was crawling around in his jacket and he was pretty sure it was going to jump out if he stood up. 

Byleth narrowed his eyes. “Claude, what are you doing?” 

“Reading?” Claude said. 

Unimpressed, Byleth asked. “Why do you look so guilty, Claude?” 

“Do I?” Claude asked, just as the kitten’s head popped out of his jacket.

“Is that a cat?” Byleth asked. 

“...No?” Admittedly not one of his better lies. 

“Right, I assume that’s _your_ adorable sleeping basket then?” He gestured at the corner of the room. 

“It might as well be, considering my bed’s been taken over,” Claude grumbled.

Byleth shook his head at him, “Is that all?”

“You almost sound disappointed.” 

“It’s anticlimactic,” Byleth said in his deadpan voice. “Here I thought you were brewing poisons _again_ , or planning to sneak into the holy tomb _again_ -” 

“Well I never did sneak in actually, because I was caught-”

“-So smuggling a cat is a bit mundane, by your standards.” 

Just then the blanket behind Claude shifted. 

“I may have smuggled _several_ cats,” Claude admitted. “You gonna turn me in to Seteth?” 

“Obviously not,” Byleth said. “It’s a stupid rule. Everyone likes the cats.” 

“Ooh, blasphemy, going against the church like that-” 

“-On the condition that I get to hold one,” Byleth said. To Claude’s great surprise, Byleth sat down on the bed and held his hands out. Claude’s cat eagerly crawled onto Byleth’s lap for more attention, and Claude uncovered the blanket to free the other ones.

“Who knew you had such a soft side?” Claude grinned, shifting a bit closer to Byleth as he did so, his thigh resting against his. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Byleth scratched the kitten behind the ears, “Do they have names?” 

“Not yet, this was supposed to be a temporary arrangement for when it’s cold. I was going to send them back outside when the weather warms up.”

“We both know that’s not going to happen,” Byleth said. 

“You come up with something then.” 

Byleth frowned at the kitten for a moment, “Blacky?”

“...Why don’t you leave the names to me, Teach.”

Claude grabbed his book, Byleth made to get up but Claude said “You can stay, you know.”

Byleth relaxed, then groaned when he saw the book Claude was reading. “I’m going to pretend I don’t know that’s one of Seteth’s banned books.” 

Claude grinned, “I appreciate you always letting me get away with my hi-jinks, Teach.”

“One day I’m going to lose my patience with you,” Byleth tried to sound stern, but Claude had learned to read him long ago, and could tell he was amused despite his stony expression. 

Claude winked at him, “We both know that’s not going to happen.”


End file.
